Costume Renaissance in Traditional Kabardin Culture as a Way of Ethnic Self-Identifi cation

The article is devoted to the study of the process of changes in the national Kabardian (Adyghe) costume during the 20th – early 21st centuries. The main components of the male and female traditional ensemble are listed, which made it possible to highlight the constants that remain unchanged in any transformation. The main stages of the revival of interest in ethnic clothing are determined and substantiated. The authors attribute this phenomenon to socio-political, historical and cultural changes in society. The vectors of changes in the functioning and comprehension of folk clothes are considered: the militarization of society, stylization (stage, wedding and everyday), the attitude to folk clothes as an exclusively festive, solemn dress, the use of clothes for
ethnic self-presentation. The paper notes the contribution of contemporary designers and craftsmen, inspired by ethnic patterns, to the preservation of material cultural heritage.